The Broken Road
by Besarki
Summary: RG. After accidentally shooting and killing a young boy, Yuna panics and does the unthinkable.She blames her cousin. Rather than be thrust back into Via Purifico Rikku flees. She later reappears leading a gang of murderous thieves.Their targets: Everyone.
1. The History of a Summoner

Besarki: Whoot! New story! **THIS IS NOT TIKKU!!! **Rikku is one of the main characters and Tidus is one of the main characters. As far as I know, I think I'm going to have to reader (Meaning You) follow Tidus around, making him a main character. SubJECHT (Haha! I'm hilarious. What's more hilarious is that I probably spelled that wrong! HA HA HA!! …Ignore me. You'll be better off) to change, but at the moment, that's how it is! I have no idea why making Yuna the bad guy seemed so appealing to me, but it did. Yuna needs a badass side, anyway. Plus, who can make a more shocking traitor than Rikku's dearly beloved cousin, sweet Yunie? Ha. Beats me. Anyway, I'm crossing my fingers that people will actually like this. Here's to my newest Final Fantasy X-2 story!

* * *

_Four years._

_It's been four years since it happened. Four years since the High Summoner lied. She lied to all of Spira. Fed them full of her terribly unbelievable words. She took the easy way out: She blamed me._

_According to everyone's favorite gunner, I'm a lying, murdering, whore. According to Yuna, it's my fault that a little boy died._

_She told everyone I stabbed him. How could I have stabbed him? He was in Luca, I was in Djose. We were so far apart. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't have possibly thrown my dagger all the way down the highroad. I wouldn't ever want to anyway. Who intentionally kills an eight-year-old boy? Someone with a lot of problems, that's who._

_She should have just told the truth. They would have forgiven her. Everyone makes mistakes after all, but no, she had to go off and __**lie**__ about the whole thing._

_Want to know what really happened? 'Cause I know. I'm one of the only people who do know, but I'll tell you, and I'll tell you the truth. Yuna wouldn't, but I would and I will. I'll tell you just what happened that day and I'll tell you right now._

_You ready? Good. Here's what really happened:_

_You all know that Yuna's High Summoner, right? Of course you do. Who doesn't? Anyway, for quite a long time, Yuna made it look like she was going to be the best, not to mention most reluctant, High Summoner of all time. She stuck up for minorities, listened to everyone, solved disputes, and tried to keep everyone happy. She performed her job flawlessly. It seemed that, at long last, Spira had made a breakthrough, until the accident, that is._

_You see, Yuna wasn't even doing anything wrong. It was a freak accident. What happened was this: Yuna was in Luca Stadium preparing for some big speech or something when her gun accidentally went off and shot a little boy who had been asking for her autograph. She tried to revive him, but failed. He died the next morning._

_Rather than actually take responsibility for her actions, she told everyone that she had seen me wandering the hallways when she witnessed me stab the little boy after he told me I looked funny. She told all of Spira that I had been drunk, which I hadn't. I wasn't even there! But I've already told you that, haven't I? Yeah, well, now you've heard it again, but I digress._

_They showed up at Djose Temple the next day and arrested me. Needless to say, I was stunned. I had no idea what I had done to begin with! To make matters worse, they ended up arresting Gippal as well when he stuck up for me. He didn't even get a trial. I didn't either. I was supposed to, but I escaped an hour before my trial was held. I didn't need to be screamed and hissed at before they inevitably sentenced me to death via, well, Via Purifico. They would have turned everything I said against me anyway._

_About three hours after I escaped, I busted Gippal out and we fled to the outskirts of the city. Within a few weeks, we had built an entire gang of Al Bhed who were just as appalled with Yuna's behavior as the two of us were. I somehow managed to be elected leader of our gang. Everyone listens to me, but I listen to Gippal. I guess that makes us dual leaders. No, that doesn't really sound right. I may have worded that wrong. Never mind. I'm telling a story, not teaching a Spiran class._

_Continuing on, our gang went from being a minor annoyance to being the most feared group in all of Spira. Apparently, we're now the bad guys, and the price on my head has climbed into the millions._

_Thanks to my beloved cousin, myself as well as the rest of the Al Bhed are seen as sacrilegious vermin again. Unfortunately, the term "animalistic" has also been tacked on in recent years._

_I thought she cared about us. I really did. I cared about her. I would have given my life for her. I nearly did, multiple times. For a while, I thought she would have done the same, but apparently not._

_You know what Yuna is? She's a heartless, double-crossing, bitch. The only person she cares about is herself. That little brunette that I had idolized for so very long has turned on me. She's made my life a living hell._

_Myself, Gippal, and the rest of our supporters have come out of hiding. We're here to fight this even if it buries our race's reputation even deeper in the sand. So deep it'll never be able to redeem itself. We'll never back down again. We are the Al Bhed. We are warriors. We are tired, we are angry._

_Everything comes down to this. This will be our time. As of now, vengeance is the Al Bhed way._

_And we're going to make sure that that witch pays for what she's done to us._

* * *

Besarki: Sooooooo…good? Bad? Worth continuing? 'Cause if it's not, then please tell me. I have a novel to write so I don't want to waste my time continuing a fanfic that no one likes. Personally, I like this idea and I think that I can really make something out of this plot, but that's up to you guys, I suppose. Review. 


	2. AN: Conflict resolved, skip this chapter

CONFLICT RESOLVED! MOVE ON MY DUCKIES!


	3. Chance Encounter

Besarki: YAAAAY! People want me to continue! And continue I shall! Reviews make my life. You have no idea. Sorry about the long wait, though. I just finished the novel I was writing and am now in the editing process. Take it from me, editing sucks.

This chapter is abnormally long for me. Hopefully that will at least partially make up for my lack of updates.

Disclaimer for whole story: Final Fantasy X-2 and all its characters and locations are property of Square Enix. Characters that don't sound familiar to you are mine. If you steal them, I'LL EAT YOU!

* * *

------------------------------------------------------------

&**Luca Outskirts**&

------------------------------------------------------------

Luca had long been known as the Blitzball capital of Spira. It was also famous for being the location where the annual sphere break tournaments were held. It was not, however, known for just how safe it was, because, in reality, Luca was probably the most dangerous place in all of Spira. After all, a terrible band of murderous thieves called this place their home. However, not everyone knew about them, and that, that often led to a person's downfall.

Deep in the outskirts of the city, three large clusters of pyreflies(AN: Sorry! I didn't want to stick one of these in already, but I don't know how to spell that word. If anyone can help me out, I'd appreciate it!) danced in short circles. The clusters, which began as enchanted orbs, gradually began to change, shifting into the form of three adult men.

The first was the tallest. He wore a robe and an odd hat. The second was slightly shorter with a mostly bare chest with a strange symbol on it. The third and final was a swordsman with a long red cloak and sunglasses. The needed no real introduction. The three were Braska, Jecht, and Auron.

"Ugh, where are we?" Jecht groaned as he stood up. He glanced to his right then broke out into a ridiculous laughter. "Ha! Auron, you're old!" He teased.

Auron chose to ignore him. A good move on his part. He instead looked over his surroundings, noting anything that looked even remotely familiar. He found very little.

"I'm not sure," He admitted, "but by the looks of things," he gestured up toward the blimps and balloons floating through the sky, "we're in Luca."

"You mean that place with the big blitzball stadium? Aw right!" He grinned.

Braska, on the other hand, didn't look so cheerful.

"Something's not right." He stated suspiciously, "Didn't we die? I could have sworn that…"

"Oh who cares?" Jecht dismissed, "All that matters now is that we're alive! Haha!"

"Are we?" Auron asked.

"Whaddaya mean 'Are we'? Of course we are! What else could we be? Zombies?" He continued to laugh like a maniac. This man clearly took very little seriously. "Ah, I need a drink."

The samurai suddenly froze.

"Did you hear something?" He asked.

"Nope." Said Jecht, dismissing it completely.

"I didn't either."

Auron waited silently and patiently for several seconds before relaxing in the cool shadows of the abandoned alley.

"Maybe I'm just--" Before he could admit his wrongfulness, he was cut off by the sound of people jumping from the rooftops and landing behind them.

"What the hell?" The blitzer roared, whirling around.

There were three of them. The two on either side were men with bandanas and goggles. They wore clothes that were clearly of the Al Bhed taste. The third was also Al Bhed, but unlike the other two, she was female. While the two men seemed quite alike, the young lady in the middle was clearly unique. It was obvious that she was the leader of this brigade. She wore a highly revealing yellow dress and held twin daggers in either hand. Her hair was tied back and wore familiar feather earrings.

The three Al Bhed simply stood there, weapons ready. The group leader was much more relaxed and let her daggers hang loosely unlike the other two who kept their guns in a position that made for easy fire.

"Who the hell are you supposed to be?" Jecht growled, his sword ready to try and slice them to pieces.

"_Kad uid_" The girl snarled.

Her native tongue annoyed Jecht, yet seemed to have little affect on Auron and Braska, both of which had long since mastered the language.

"Aww, she's speakin' Al Bhed!" The blitzer griped. He glanced over his shoulder and looked to Auron and Braska. "What'd she say?"

"She wants us to leave." Braska answered, simply, keeping his head low, yet his eyes on her. He felt some connection to this girl.

"What?!" He gawked, spinning back around to face her, "What, does she think we're gonna just up and leave now? Well I'm sorry, but that ain't about to happen little missy."

That annoyed her.

"_E cyet mayja. Drec ec ouin mycd fynhehk. Kad uid un fa'mm gemm oui_." She hissed venomously.

"Oh no you don't! I've heard enough of yer Al Bhed lingo. Either you talk to me in Spiran or we ain't--" He was cut off by her rushing forward and punching him in the chest so hard that he flew a distance away.

The two guards seized Auron and Braska when the chance arose. Braska was left helpless to this act, but Auron was able to slash the guard who had come after him.

The leader responded to this by momentarily shifting her attention from Jecht to her guard. She cast a white magic spell before returning to Jecht and catching his counter attack with her daggers.

They were persistent; she'd give them that. Most turned tail and took off as soon as they saw her. She killed the ones that didn't. These three would be no different.

The guards began shooting at them and they rebelled by attacking back. Jecht smacked the leader with his sword, and by some miracle, it drove her back a few steps. He grinned feeling that he had finally gained an advantage. He lunged forward, blind to guard who was rushing him from the side.

As Jecht was thrown down and Auron was pushed against the wall, any hope they might have had of winning this fight was snuffed out completely. However, while they had no chance of winning this battle themselves, fate left them another chance.

A blonde stranger swooped in out of nowhere and pinned the female Al Bhed to one of the cement walls of a nearby building.

"HEY! THAT'S ENOUGH!" He yelled at the top of his lungs. He loosened his grip and let her slid down slightly, back to her feet and into a more comfortable position. By his treatment it made it seem like he wasn't truly trying to hurt her, but instead stop her from doing something she'd regret. He was a friend. Definitely a friend. And hopefully their ticket to freedom. "What did I tell you about picking fights?" He asked, releasing her at last.

"Do you see how close they are? And plus, I did ask them to leave, but they declined." She retorted.

"What?! You speak Spiran?" Jecht roared furiously.

It was only now that the new stranger turned to the three captives and, upon seeing them, flinched in shock.

"See why I'm kicking them around, besides their location?" The Al Bhed asked, irritably. "They're impersonating your father, Auron, and Braska. Those three died as heroes. They don't deserve to be mocked like this."

"What the HELL are you talking about?!" Jecht was far too outspoken for his own good, "We ain't impersonatin' anyone!"

"Jecht, Auron, and Braska are dead. They died a long time ago." She roared at them, the blonde man's hands still clutching her sides.

"Wait," Auron said quietly, "I think that I may recognize her voice."

"Yeah? WELL WHY COULDN'T YOU HAVE TOLD US THIS BEFORE SHE DECIDED TO USE US AS HUMAN PUNCHING BAGS?!" Jecht yelled.

"Because I couldn't place it, but…" Bravely, Auron gathered his courage and tested his theory, "Rikku?"

The Al Bhed glared at him.

"What?" She snarled.

"Rikku?" Braska gawked, "Oh my, might you possibly be related to my niece? I'm not quite sure what she looks like, but my wife told me much about her."

"The _real_ Braska is my uncle, but he was stupid and went on some pilgrimage that got himself, Auron, and Jecht killed." She shook her head in disgust, "I'm almost glad he died. I'm not sure how he'd feel if he knew that his daughter might as well be a dictator."

"Yuna?" Braska asked, horrified, "That's impossible! My little Yuna was destined for great things!"

"Yeah, she was, but she blew her chance by trying to throw me into Via Purifico for a crime I didn't commit."

The entire time they quarreled, Jecht stood by and watched the match with a bored expression. He nearly fell asleep until he heard the younger man speak.

"Rikku, have you ever thought, even for a minute, that maybe they somehow came back to life?"

"Uh, no." She answered matter-of-factly. "What evidence would you have to support that?"

"I did." This comment stopped her. It seemed as if the young man had thrown a large wooden board at her face and she was just now realizing the pain.

"But what if they're not?" She asked weakly, "I can't have spies roaming around my doorstep. You know that."

"Alright, I'll make you a deal: if you give them a chance, I'll run out and buy your groceries for the next month so you won't have to disguise yourself." The offer was clearly quite tempting, but he realized that he would definitely need something else in order to seal the deal, "And, if they do turn out to be dangerous, I'll help you slice them to bits."

With a light smile, she nodded.

"Okay, but they get one chance, and _you're_ watching them. I have enough problems." While the bargain seemed fair to her, it's fair to say that Auron, Braska, and Jecht weren't so thrilled about the agreement, but then again, they really didn't have much to worry about. Rikku had definitely changed, but if the three could convince her that they were really Auron, Braska, and Jecht, they highly doubted that she'd regard them as a threat. That's what they hoped anyway.

"Good." Her captor gently released her as she told her guards to stand down.

"I'm going to head back." She told him, "Come when you're ready." With that said she moved into the shadows and vanished, her guards close behind.

"Don't mind her." The youngest of the four men comforted, "She's just being protective."

"Of what?" Auron asked.

"If I show you, you must promise to keep it a secret. Yuna isn't aware of this weakness and if she finds out, Rikku is in big trouble." He explained, "By the way, I'm Tidus."

"My son?!" Jecht exclaimed in shock.

"Yep. That's me." He grinned.

"Y-You're alive!"

"Ditto." He teased.

It was beginning to look like their encounter could play to their advantage after all.

* * *

Besarki: What is Rikku's secret weakness? Why, you'll just have to review in order to find out! Rikku's outfit? It's just a mix between Lady Luck and Thief. I didn't feel the need to go into detail because you probably all know how both of those look. Oh yes, and normally, I'll translate the Al Bhed speech for you, but in this chapter, you have to do it yourself. There are translators all over google. You'll find one. By the way, I want to apologize in advance. I have a very juvenile style of writing. If anyone read my other story (which you probably haven't) you'd know that I used to be a Teen Titans fanfic author (and now I write digimon too:) ). I had almost 200 reviews on one story. That's not saying much nowadays, but I got a lot of positive feedback. Anyway, Final Fantasy and Teen Titans are totally different so I'm trying to adjust. It's not going well… 

I'm going to temporarily move away from my constant trivia because I have to update three stories. Review!


	4. Rikku's Secret

Besarki: Guess what? I just got ALL my Final Fantasy inspiration back! I don't know if I've ever had an obsession shorter in time than my Digimon kick. Super strange. But I digress. I still have to finish Renegade, of course, but RTTS and TBR will be receiving more attention! (Insert cheer)

By the way, I changed it to the two characters being Rikku and _Tidus_ rather than Auron cause it looks like Tidus is going to be more important. Still a Rippal fic, mind you.

* * *

"So, why again are we tiptoein' through here? It's not like she's gonna jump us again. Not with you around." Jecht complained. 

"Just because Rikku isn't trying to kill us doesn't mean that no one else will. If she were walking with us, we'd be invincible." Tidus explained, carefully glancing around, "But she's not."

"Why would we be 'invincible' if Rikku was with us?" Braska inquired, looking at Tidus curiously. She might have been his niece, but if she was his daughter's enemy, he found it slightly harder to trust the Al Bhed girl.

The younger of the two Blitzers turned a corner and started walking down yet another alleyway.

"Rikku is much more dangerous than she looks. She was taking it easy on you. People around here as well as most Spirans fear her and what she could do to them." He sighed, "The fact is though, Rikku isn't a bad person. When people get too close to base, she panics and goes berserk. Her reckless actions during such times have earned her quite the reputation, though. She doesn't deserve it, but it has played to her advantage more than once."

"I still don't understand what caused her to act in such a way, though." said Auron. He had no idea that his question would be answered in only mere moments. He was also unaware of the fact that her reason would change the way he had always seen her.

The blonde finally stopped. He turned to his left and knocked three times on a wooden plank against the wall. How he had recognized this spot on the wall as different than the other places was beyond them.

A voice suddenly called out from behind the board.

"_Cdyda ouin picehacc. _(State your business.)" The masculine voice growled.

Without hesitation or worry, Tidus replied in perfect Al Bhed.

"_Ed'c sa, Tidus. Rikku ryc knyhdat socamv yht so kiacdc bansecceuh du ahdan. _(It's me, Tidus. Rikku has granted myself and my guests permission to enter.)"

"_Tidus?_" The voice repeated. _"Rikku ryc hud oad nadinhat. Dranavuna E lyhhud ymmuf oui du…" _(Rikku has not yet returned. Therefore I cannot allow you to_…)_ He paused for a moment. The four waiting outside could hear a faint voice speaking in the background. _E's cunno, cra ec rana. Cra sicd ryja chilg eh fedruid sa hudelehk._ (I'm sorry, she is here. She must have snuck in without me noticing.)

The wooden board slowly slid to the side and a strong steel door opened behind it. Standing by the door was an Al Bhed man wearing goggles and gloves among other things. He seemed nice enough. Looks could be deceiving though. Rikku had proven that much.

"I'll be hearing it for this one." The man sighed, moving aside so they could pass him.

Auron, Jecht, and Braska couldn't believe their eyes. Inside the building was a gigantic room filled with over one hundred Al Bhed. They were everywhere! Some lingered on the red support beams which rested high above the cement floor while others chatted contently on the ground. Some were repairing various machina, some were designing blueprints. They were eating, drinking, talking, and walking about the room, occasionally exiting and entering through the hall that was carved into the far wall of the enclosure.

"What is _this_?" Braska asked in awe.

Tidus grinned inwardly, watching the older men gaze around the room with overwhelmed expressions plastered on their faces.

"Pretty impressive, huh?" He snickered. His devilish expression morphed into a more innocent look when he caught sight of a little girl rushing toward him.

With huge, saucer-like eyes and a brilliant smile, the tiny Al Bhed dashed up to him and caught the blitzer in a friendly hug as soon as he kneeled down to eye level.

"_Ihlma Tidus, ihlma Tidus! Susso cyet dryd oui fana lusehk ujan du jeced ic yht cra fyc nekrd!"_ (Uncle Tidus, uncle Tidus! Mommy said that you were coming over to visit us and she was right!) The little girl was genuinely enthralled, evident by her overjoyed appearance.

"_Aww, cra tet? Dryd byndo buuban. E fyhdat du cinbneca oui. _(Aww, she did? That party pooper. I wanted to surprise you.) He grinned jokingly.

"_Drydc ugyo. E's cdemm rybbo du caa oui! _(Thats okay. I'm still happy to see you!)" She giggled.

"_E's rybbo du caa oui duu. _(I'm happy to see you too.)" Tidus replied, backing away though she continued to beam at him. "Lyh oui cyo hello du draca drnaa? (Can you say hello to these three?)"

The little blonde glanced up at the three and immediately shrank back in fear.

Tidus laughed.

"She's just a little shy." The young man suddenly pulled something out of his pocket. It was some kind of package, wrapped sloppily in festive paper. "_E pnuikrd oui cusadrehk, pid oui lyh uhmo ryja ed ev oui lyh cyo "Hello" du draca drnaa vun sa._ (I brought you something, but you can only have it if you can say "Hello" to these three for me.)"

The little girl glanced up at them nervously and with great reluctance. However, before she could say a word, a familiar voice chimed in and cut her off.

"You trying to bribe my daughter, mister?" To their surprise, it was a much happier looking Rikku. In this atmosphere, she was a thousand times calmer and seemed more likely to joke around. She also had quite the change in wardrobe. She now sported only a miniskirt, bikini top and scarf. Not much better, truthfully, it might have been worse.

"Me?" Tidus snorted, "Of course not! What gave you that idea?" He wore a large grin on his face as well as bright, confident eyes.

Rikku smirked at his statement. He had of course been bribing her in an attempt to make her talk to strangers, which went against all of Rikku's prior lessons. 'Don't talk to people if they look like they're capable of killing you'. It wasn't the greatest advice because to a three year-old, that meant everyone.

Tidus would never do anything to intentionally harm the girl or betray her mother's trust by asking the her to do something that was likely to get her into trouble, but he knew that if he could get her to accept the trio as friends, Rikku would believe them as well.

With a slight chuckle, the blitzer gave in and handed the toddler her gift.

Beaming even more than she had previously been, the Al Bhed enthusiastically ripped the paper away from the present. When she finally unwrapped it, she found herself staring in delight at a small, stuffed Chocobo.

"Isn't there something that you should say to Tidus for bringing you that?" Rikku snickered.

"_Dryhg oui!_ (Thank you!)" She squealed before running up to Tidus and giving him another hug. Quickly turning, the little Al Bhed dashed away to play with her new toy.

"That's Tylii." Tidus laughed. Catching Jecht's shocked gape, he quickly added: "And before you ask, she's not mine."

"Thank the fayth for that one." Rikku giggled, her one arm crossed and the other hand slightly covering her mouth in an attempt to mask the laughter's obvious after affects that were crossing her features.

"Hey, that's not nice." He pouted in a way much akin to the one that Rikku often exhibited.

"It sounded like you were implying something there." She frowned playfully, knowing full well that he hadn't meant anything. She was just couldn't pass up such an opportunity.

"God no! You have any idea what Gippal would do to me?" Tidus threw his arms up defensively.

"I'd rather not think about it." Lowering her arms, she paused for a moment to nod in acknowledgement at Jecht, Auron, and Braska. At least it was a start. After smiling once more at Tidus and thanking him for the gift he had brought, she turned and began to walk away from the group.

"She's really changed." Auron noted, however, before anyone could agree, they were interrupted by a high-pitched squeal which grabbed all their attention. Predictably, they saw the former guardian lying flat on the ground.

Tidus couldn't help but laugh at her clumsiness.

"Not that much."

* * *

Besarki: And there you have it: Rikku's weakness is her daughter, Tylii. We've obviously already established that Gippal is dad. Well, I think it's obvious, but then again, I wrote it. Imagine the possibilities! A parent would do anything for their child! Can you imagine what havoc could occur were one of Rikku's enemies (namely Yuna) were to get a hold of her? She could make her cousin do anything she wanted her to. It would be chaos! Will it happen? I dunno, you'll just have to review to find out. Be aware though, that I have a reputation of heavily hinting towards events that NEVER happen. Then, something totally unexpected occurs! I throw in useless leads and details. I've said it once, I'll say it again: Never overanalyze ANYTHING written by me. Ha, I'm evil. Review! 


	5. GoldenHaired Goddess

Besarki: Sorry! Sorry Sorry Sorry! I really didn't mean to go this long without updating! I've been preoccupied with Broken Circle, my Twilight story. Sorry again!

Anywho, I'm writing this chapter from Gippal's POV. I've been practicing writing from boy's perspective and I've gotten a lot better at it!

* * *

(Gippal's POV)

The halls were empty for the first time in what seems like forever. Not that I really cared. People can do whatever the hell they want. Not my problem.

Someone had run into my office earlier going on about some visitors. Normally, I wouldn't care. My wife does a damn good job at regulating the traffic that goes in and out of this place. However, this time around, she let them in, but wasn't too thrilled about it. I'd bet 50,000 gil that Tidus had something to do with this one.

From what the kid from before told me, our visitors were three old friends or something like that.

I paused to smile when I looked further down the corridor. Turns out that the hall isn't deserted after all.

Huddled against the right wall, little Tylii sat playing with a stuffed chocobo. I don't remember that toy. Though, she does have a lot of toys. Being the only child here, giving her a good number of toys seems only fair. Maybe I just forgot about it.

Tylii smiled as she threw the over-sized bird into the air then caught it again. I did feel bad about keeping her cooped up like this, but really, what choice do we have? She has a lot of Rikku in her and that makes her easily distinguishable. People would recognize her in no time. Poor kid.

Tylii threw the plushy toy again, however, this time, she didn't catch it. The little Al Bhed girl scooted back to retrieve the toy. She started to turn her head, but stopped half way, her eyes widening and a smile crossing her face.

"Vydran!" She squealed. Tylii pushed herself to her feet and ran over to me, wrapping her arms around me when I kneeled down. She was acting like she hadn't seen me in weeks while it had only been a few hours. She always acted this way, though.

I frowned internally. Rikku was technically the leader of this group due to lineage. Her father, the elder, would be retiring soon. In a few years, she'd be the new elder, even though she's the younger of Cid's children. Cid deemed Rikku to be more fitting than Brother. She was more charismatic and almost everyone knew her, now for a negative reason. Damn Yevonites.

Regardless, Rikku was technically leader, but she always had time for her daughter. I didn't. I worked more than she did. That's not to say that she doesn't work hard. I work because I choose to. After being leader of the Machine Faction, working has become a very large part of my life. My wife went from being a guardian to a sphere hunter. She had to constantly be on the move. Having to go into hiding upset her more than it would upset most others. She spends a lot of time with Tylii because it keeps her moving.

Rikku spends more time with our daughter than I do, but Tylii treats us both the same. I don't deserve it.

"Vydran, drana yna faent baubma uidceta!" (Father, there are weird people outside!)

"E'ja raynt" (I've heard) I told her. She nodded a few times.

"Ihlma Tidus megac dras, pid E tuh'd drehg dryd Sudran tuac." (Uncle Tidus likes them, but I don't think that Mother does.)

"Fryd tu oui drehg uv dras?" (What do you think of them?)

She shrugged.

"E tuh'd ghuf. Drao'na geht uv clyno muugehk." (I don't know. They're kind of scary looking.)

_Scary looking._I mused to myself. For a moment, I wondered if they were Yevonites, but I quickly dismissed the thought. Even Tiduswasn't stupid enough to let them in.

"E's kuehk du ku lralg ed uid. Cdyo rana." (I'm going to go check it out. Stay here.)

(Narrator POV)

Tylii paused for a moment, contemplating his instruction. Her actions made Gippal suspicious. She didn't usually act like this.

However, before Gippal could ask about his daughter's behavior, both quickly turned at the soft sound of approaching footsteps.

Tylii laughed benignly and rushed toward her young mother who was walking down the corridor.

"Rao, Tylii," She greeted. (Hey, Tylii.) The Al Bhed princess scooped the infant up in her arms. Rikku teased her briefly before turning to acknowledge the other Al Bhed present.

"Hello, Gippal." She said with a smile.

Gippal nodded. "Rikku."

Without the slightest bit of warning, Gippal suddenly burst out laughing. Rikku frowned.

"What?" She asked.

"I've never seen you so stressed. It's quite funny."

"I'm not stressed!" She shot back defensively. It only made him laugh harder.

"Rikku, you're usually bouncing of the walls. You're only like this when you're upset."

"I'm fine."

"Who are you trying to convince?"

"Gippal!" In reality, she was stressed out. Excruciatingly so, but she couldn't let that show. It was dangerous. If she got scared, then the others would go into an all-out panic. Thank the fayth that Gippal wasn't so easily unnerved.

"Rikku, honestly, it's all right to be upset about this."

She gazed back at him. Her eyes held an unreadable emotion.

"So you've heard?"

"Yes."

"Mmm...I don't know what to think about it. Should I be defensive or give them a chance?"

"It's up to you. You're the leader."

"Hardly. I'll do anything you tell me to."

He laughed. "Well, to everyone else anyway."

Rikku slowly became distant for some reason. "Maybe." She sighed, "We Al Bhed are really strange, aren't we?"

It was Gippal's turn to frown. "What makes you think that?"

She laughed. "Yuna turns on me, and suddenly I'm a gang leader. If this hadn't happened, I'd still be just Rikku. Not Elder Rikku or Leader Rikku. I'd be a Gullwing or something."

"You quit the Gullwings."

"That's true. So then I'd be Gippal's girlfriend."

"You'd be my wife as you are now."

"Would I?"

He smirked. "Without a doubt."

"How do you know I'd accept?"

"Because I know you, Rikku."

She shook her head, smirking as well. "I've changed, Gip."

"Barely."

"Oh, I have to!"

"You're more mature than you were at 17; I'll give you that."

"Thanks."

"Anytime, squirt."

"Oh, I'm going to get you. Just you wait!"

"Mature, Rikku."

"Shut-up Gippal."

Gippal laughed and ruffled her blond hair. Of all the people he could have ended up with, he found himself forever bound to the golden haired goddess...and he wouldn't give her up for the world.

* * *

Besarki: Sorry, that was pretty boring. I just wanted to show you how Gippal and Rikku act now. I also apologize for randomly switching to Narrator POV in the middle of the chapter. I accidentally started writing for 3rd person and was too lazy to fix it. Sorry. Anyway, I've been debating what to do with Tylii. Should she have a major role or should she be less involved? A plot point or a supporting character? I've been thinking it over for a while, and ultimately decided to ask all of you. The poll is in my profile.

I promise not to neglect this story like I did before as long as I get enough reviews! Review!


End file.
